The Deputy Minister for the Interior, Hon. Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, has warned that any vehicle retrofitting entity found converting vehicles into Armored Bullion Vehicles (ABVs) without requisite permit from the Minister for the Interior will face the full rigours of the law.
He gave the warning at a sensitization workshop on Guidelines and Standards for the Importation, Retrofitting, Usage and Decommissioning of Armored Bullion Vehicles held at the National Police Headquarters in Accra.
According to him, armored bullion vehicles constitute an important component of Ghana’s financial logistics and security infrastructure, used to transport cash, bullion and other high-valued assets often under significant security risk.
“Given the sensitive nature of these operations, it is imperative that every ABV imported into Ghana, retrofitted, deployed for operational use, or eventually withdrawn from service meets the prescribed technical, professional, safety, and regulatory requirements,” he said.
Hon. Terlabi noted that the need for effective regulation became urgent in the light of armed attacks on cash-in-transit operations between 2021 and 2023, some of which resulted in the loss of lives of police officers and civilians, while attackers made away with cash.
“The use of soft-skin vehicles, which offered limited protection against armed attacks, was of significant concern. These incidents underscored the need for stronger measures to protect personnel, safeguard valuable assets and enhance public safety,” he stressed.
He explained that the Guidelines and Standards for ABVs were officially rolled out by the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, on Thursday, December 4, 2025.
The guidelines cover importation requirements and certification processes, operational and maintenance standards, inspection, testing and compliance monitoring, personnel qualifications, specifications for retrofitting and modification, safe decommissioning, and recovery and redundany strategies.
These, he said, are to be implemented in conjunction with the Standard Operating Procedures on ABVs by the Ghana Police Service and the Bank of Ghana.
“The successful implementation will depend largely on the establishment of a strong and sustained culture of compliance. I therefore urge all stakeholders, particularly private security organizations, CIT operators, importers and retrofitting companies, to take full ownership of the guidelines,” he urged.
“Compliance must not be viewed merely as an administrative obligation. It is fundamentally about saving lives, protecting property, maintaining public confidence and strengthening national security,” the Deputy Minister added.
In a remark on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General in charge of Private Security Operations (PSO), Commissioner of Police (COP) Dr. Daniel Kwame Afriyie, said the sensitization is timely and necessary.
He disclosed that since the rollout of the guidelines, the Police have established regional and district enforcement teams, held sensitization for regional police representatives, removed soft-skin cash-in-transit vehicles from operations nationwide, and enhanced inspection and monitoring of ABVs.
COP Afriyie said the Service is currently assessing police workshops nationwide in readiness for maintenance and servicing of armored bullion vehicles as stipulated in the guidelines.
The workshop brought together members of the ABV Implementation Committee, representatives of the Bank of Ghana, Ministry of the Interior, private security organizations, CIT operators, importers and retrofitting companies.
